11 China origin scammers targeting france arrested in Vietnam
This Bac Ninh bust exemplifies the booming transnational organized crime in Southeast Asia, where Chinese-led syndicates operate scam centers across borders (often relocating from Cambodia/Myanmar to Vietnam) to target victims in wealthier nations like France, the US, and Europe.
In a swift operation on July 2, 2026, police in Vietnam’s Bac Ninh Province raided a rented house in Vo Cuong ward and arrested 11 Chinese nationals running a sophisticated online scam syndicate specifically targeting French citizens. Authorities seized 11 computers, 12 mobile phones, and a trove of digital evidence, exposing yet another node in the sprawling network of transnational cyber fraud operations shifting across Southeast Asia.
Modus Operandi
Police call it a closed, role-divided model. In the scam world, you would call it pig butchering, build trust online, then push a fake investment on a fake platform that looks like a real trading site.
Here is the Bac Ninh version, according to investigators:
- The French face. The group used Facebook accounts with fake French identities and real-time translation software to approach victims, who were almost exclusively French citizens.
- The mall that never existed. They operated a counterfeit e-commerce investment floor called "Lucky Coin Mall" and assigned each member a clear job, from first contact to money handling.
- Telegram stage. Once hooked, victims were invited to Telegram groups seeded with dozens of shill accounts posting big profit screenshots to create FOMO.
- Freeze. When victims tried to withdraw, the script flipped: account frozen, pay tax, pay verification fee, pay unlock fee.
- Launder. The cash was laundered through cryptocurrency to hide the trail.
France, like many Western countries, faces a surge in crypto and investment scams. French authorities report hundreds of millions of euros lost annually to similar schemes, with victims often middle-aged or elderly individuals targeted via sophisticated digital lures.
Bac Ninh's Investigation Security Agency is now tracing crypto wallets and expanding the case. No victim count or total loss has been released. The 11 suspects face charges for high-tech fraud and property appropriation.